Charities call for ban on Israeli goods

In a Parliamentary briefing on June 19, 2012, Christian Aid and Quakers urge the UK government to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Loading ...

Christian Aid and Quakers have urged the British government to boycott goods from illegal settlements that have been produced on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
In a Parliamentary briefing on June 19, they called on the coalition government to introduce legislation against the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements.
“Settlements are illegal under international law, a major cause of poverty amongst Palestinians and an obstacle to peace,” said Christian Aid Policy and Advocacy Officer William Bell.
“They will continue to expand and develop unless action is taken that backs the routine statements of condemnation from the international community. Trade perpetuates the settlements by making them economically viable,” said Christian Aid Policy and Advocacy Officer William Bell.
Earlier in April, Britain’s fifth-largest food retailer and the country's largest mutual business, the Co-operative Group, extended a boycott of goods from illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
After that, Unison, Britain's largest trade union, representing 1.3 million public service workers, blocked the participation of an Israeli expert at an NHS-sponsored workshop on negotiation and conflict management in Manchester on May 8.
“Christian Aid believes that it is the role of governments to protect the consumer from purchasing goods from an illegal source and so is calling on the UK Government to impose a ban,” Bell added.
Meanwhile, today on June 21, members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign launched a bid to get the support of the Members of the Scottish Parliament to end a £200,000 Scottish Enterprise grant to the British branch of Israeli water cooler firm Eden Springs, which is accused of breaching international law by operating in Syria’s Golan Heights, illegally occupied by Israeli regime since 1967.
Moreover, yesterday on June 20, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign staged a protest outside the main entrance of Wrexham Stadium against the Israel-Wales Women's European Championship qualifying match in Wrexham town, North Wales, aiming to raise awareness of the apartheid nature of the Israeli regime.
SSM/SS/HE